Complaint Review: Royal Philips - Amsterdam

Because the Philips bulbs that I have used always seem to fail within just a few months, I started writing my installation date for each bulb on the bulb itself, before I install it.  Then, when it fails, I remove it and write the date of failure on it.  What I discovered was that most of the Philips Duramax bulbs that I have purchased failed within the first year.  That bothered me because the packaging that Philips used for the Duramax bulbs states, "Lasts 2.3 years."  So, I contacted Philips to file a warranty claim.  They sent an email to me requiring that I jump through the following hoops, first: 

How many hours per day the product is used? Product #, SKU, or description? Is the bulb(s) being used in an enclosed or open fixture? Fixture type/location? Is the fixture used on a dimmer, timer, or illuminated wall switch? Date code?

Alpha numeric code located above the base, usually to the right of the country of orgin, on the socket, or between the pins? Has the bulb been tried in a different fixture? Are the bulbs used in a residence or a business? Do you still have the bulb to send in (if needed)?  

I answered their questions, tried the bulb in another fixture and sent photos that I made of two of the failed bulbs.  I only filed a claim for two bulbs - one bulb went bad after 7 months and the other was bad right out of the box.



  They emailed to me the following response:  

Good afternoon John,

Unfortunately, you bulb is not within the 1 year warranty. If you have your receipt, please forward to reference when you purhcased. But, based on the date code its not within warranty.

Best regards,

Hope

Philips Customer Care

I have several problems with their response.  First of all, I believe that quality companies require personalization of correspondence to ensure accountability - who is "Philips Customer Care", to whom do I respond if I don't like the response, do I start all over again with somebody new?  Secondly, when I filed the claim, I explained that the warranty, (as stated on their box), was 2.3 years and that my receipt was less than a year old. 

Philips states that the bulb is only warranteed for one year, so, why is a bulb with a "1 year warranty" in a box that clearly states, "Lasts 2.3 years"?  There was no asterisk and no small print on the box associated with the claim (I kept the box as proof).  Thirdly, Philip's response implies that the warranty is associated with a cryptic "date code" printed on their bulbs and is NOT based upon the purchase date or installation date of the bulb. 

In my case, based upon the response I got from "Philips Customer Care" (whoever that is), it seems that EVEN THE BULB THAT WAS BAD RIGHT OUT OF THE BOX WAS OUT OF WARRANTY BEFORE I EVER BOUGHT IT!  So, BUYERS BEWARE - Philips wasted much of my time and refused to stand behind their Duramax bulbs - I got no refund, no replacement bulb(s) and no promise of ever getting either in the future. 

Based upon their last response to me, it seems that their warranty begins on the bulb's production date, not the purchase or installation date.  In my opinion, their warranty is misleading at best and criminal at worst.        

It is my hope that a law firm will read my complaint here and file a class action law suit.   If these bulbs are failing way before their claimed life for me, I feel there's a high likelihood that that they are failing prematurely for others too. 

Unfortunately, most people will just buy new bulbs and replace them without question because they don't have the time or inclination to keep up with packaging and write installation/failure dates on their bulbs as I did.  I also believe that these misleading light bulb warranty claims likely are not limited to Philips - but can't say for sure.